RECAP: NYE Weekend with Kamasi Washington and Special Guest The Budos Band at Brooklyn Bowl New York

2016 came to a glorious end with two beautiful nights of music at Brooklyn Bowl on December 30 and 31. The versatile afro-funk and jazz interpretations of The Budos Band and Kamasi Washington created the perfect atmosphere for two unforgettable sold out shows. In the case that you missed out or want to relive the moments, you can revel in our recaps from both nights below.

For the past year, Kamasi Washington has been touring in support of The Epic, which has exposed a new generation of music listeners to jazz. His most recent stop brought him to Brooklyn Bowl, where he performed on Friday, December 30th, for the first show of a two-night stay.

It took a village to create The Epic, and Washington brought a lot of key contributors along for this residency. Among them were trombonist Ryan Porter, drummer Tony Austin, and keyboardist Brandon Coleman. Coleman in particular was a joy to watch throughout the show, such as when the band tore through a funked-up version of “The Next Step.” Patrice Quinn, who provided vocals on the album, replicated her work on the stage with stunning authenticity. She radiated such beautiful energy as she danced along and belted out the lyrics to “Henrietta Our Hero.” Also joining the band on “Henrietta” was Washington’s father, who was featured on flute. Kamasi might be the draw, but in the tradition of great bandleaders, he is steeped in talent, and this show served as a coming out party for them.

The crowd, which looked to have a median age of 32, was wall-to-wall and front-to-back packed. It served as a reminder that Washington, through his solo work and his output with Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, is now capable of selling out a joint like the Bowl on the strength of music that bares more resemblance to Coltrane and Sun Ra than to the work of those aforementioned artists. Whatever brought them there that night, Kamasi Washington and his band of exceptional musicians were there to remind us all that jazz never stopped being cool. If anything, they reminded us that the future of jazz is very bright, indeed.

Kamasi Washington was supported by the Budos Band, the NYC-based nonet, who livened up the crowd with their brand of “Afro-soul” to kick things off.